Fodera Unveils the 35th Anniversary Monarch Deluxe and Masterbuilt Art Deco
The Monarch uses a proprietary Fodera/Seymour Duncan Dual-Coil pickups and Dovetail neck joint.
Brooklyn, NY (January 18, 2018) -- Fodera Guitar Partners, LLC, world-class custom guitar makers, is proud to announce the 35th Anniversary Monarch Deluxe: A celebration of over 35 years of hand-crafting some of the finest instruments electric basses and guitars and honoring past and present Fodera designs.
This limited-run 35th anniversary Monarch Deluxe combines classic Fodera tone and looks paired with modern electronics and playability. For this bass weāve adopted an early Fodera wood combination of a Mahogany body, Quilted Maple top, and a Pau Ferro fingerboard. In the early days of Fodera guitars, Vinny chose this combination for its broad range of tone; able to capture warms lows and have the articulation needed for bass players stepping out into more solo work at the time. To mimic the look of our original oil-finished instruments weāve stained the instrument to match the golden hues of a well played oil-finished instrument while still utilizing our satin acrylic finish known for its breathability and durability. Finally, weāve matched that with our latest preamp and proprietary Fodera / Seymour Duncan Dual Coil pickups and utilized our Dovetail neck joint found on original Fodera instruments like Victor Wootenās '87 Monarch.
Only (35) 35th Anniversary Monarch Deluxe basses will be built and are available exclusively through our dealer network and carries a retail price of $7,550.00.
Fodera Guitar Partners, LLC, world-class custom guitar makers, is proud to announce the Masterbuilt Art Deco: The first Imperial Guitar in Foderaās coveted line of Masterbuilt Instruments.
Our first guitar in our Masterbuilt series is inspired by Art-deco stylings featuring original-design brass inlays through out. Often times a design and theme is determined independently of the instruments specifications. In this case, a unique Zircote top from our wood library was discovered which in turn inspired the art-deco theme. Some common themes among Art Deco pieces are clean, geometric or stylized lines, contrasting color and shape, and the use of man-made as well as natural material. The Zircote top reflected many of these qualities and inspired the use of brass to contrast the gold, black, and brown tones of the wood. The inlay, designed by Emily Krohn, features a mosaic center and symmetrical wings on inset in a flamed Ebony fingerboard and tailpiece complementing the brass inset on the tailpiece. This guitar also features a set of custom hum-cancelling P-90 pickups, signed and wound by Lindy Fralin. These pickups have a bold midrange and bright top end characteristic of single coil P-90s but with a thicker low end in a sleek black nickel cover. For tonewoods, Masterbuilt - Art Deco features a one-piece Mahogany body with a 9-pc Mahogany / Rosewood / Maple / Ebony neck capped with a flamed Ebony fingerboard delivering warm lows, growling mids, and a bright articulate top end.
Masterbuilt - Art Deco will be available for purchase direct from Fodera Guitars. For pricing please contact info@fodera.com.
Come see Fodera at NAMM Booth #4627
For more information:
Fodera
Weāre giving away pedals all month long! Enter Stompboxtober Day 11 for your chance to win todayās pedal from Hotone Audio!
Hotone Wong Press
Cory Wong Signature Volume/Wah/Expression Pedal
Renowned international funk guitar maestro and 63rd Grammy nominee Cory Wong is celebrated for his unique playing style and unmistakable crisp tone. Known for his expressive technique, heās been acclaimed across the globe by all audiences for his unique blend of energy and soul. In 2022, Cory discovered the multi-functional Soul Press II pedal from Hotone and instantly fell in love. Since then, it has become his go-to pedal for live performances.
Now, two years later, the Hotone team has meticulously crafted the Wong Press, a pedal tailored specifically for Cory Wong. Building on the multi-functional design philosophy of the Soul Press series, this new pedal includes Coryās custom requests: a signature blue and white color scheme, a customized volume pedal curve, an adjustable wah Q value range, and travel lights that indicate both pedal position and working mode.
Coryās near-perfect pursuit of tone and pedal feel presented a significant challenge for our development team. After countless adjustments to the Q value range, Hotone engineers achieved the precise WAH tone Cory desired while minimizing the risk of accidental Q value changes affecting the sound. Additionally, based on Coryās feedback, the volume control was fine-tuned for a smoother, more musical transition, enhancing the overall feel of volume swells. The team also upgraded the iconic travel lights of the Soul Press II to dual-color travel lightsāblue for Wah mode and green for Volume modeāmaking live performances more intuitive and visually striking!
In line with the Hotone Design Inspiration philosophy, the Wong Press represents the perfect blend of design and inspiration. Now, musicians can channel their inner Cory Wong and enjoy the freedom and joy of playing with the Wong Press!
The folk-rock outfitās frontman Taylor Goldsmith wrote their debut at 23. Now, with the release of their ninth full-length, Oh Brother, he shares his many insights into how heās grown as a songwriter, and what that says about him as an artist and an individual.
Iāve been following the songwriting of Taylor Goldsmith, the frontman of L.A.-based, folk-rock band Dawes, since early 2011. At the time, I was a sophomore in college, and had just discovered their debut, North Hills, a year-and-a-half late. (That was thanks in part to one of its tracks, āWhen My Time Comes,ā pervading cable TV via its placement in a Chevy commercial over my winter break.) As I caught on, I became fully entranced.
Goldsmithās lyrics spoke to me the loudest, with lines like āWell, you can judge the whole world on the sparkle that you think it lacks / Yes, you can stare into the abyss, but itās starinā right backā (a casual Nietzsche paraphrase); and āOh, the snowfall this time of year / Itās not what Birmingham is used to / I get the feeling that I brought it here / And now Iām taking it away.ā The way his words painted a portrait of the sincere, sentimental man behind them, along with his cozy, unassuming guitar work and the bandās four-part harmonies, had me hooked.
Nothing Is Wrong and Stories Donāt End came next, and I happily gobbled up more folksy fodder in tracks like āIf I Wanted,ā āMost People,ā and āFrom a Window Seat.ā But 2015ās All Your Favorite Bands, which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Folk Albumschart, didnāt land with me, and by the time 2016ās Weāre All Gonna Die was released, it was clear that Goldsmith had shifted thematically in his writing. A friend drew a thoughtful Warren Zevon comparison to the single, āWhen the Tequila Runs Outāāa commentary on vapid, conceited, American-socialite party cultureābut it still didnāt really do it for me. I fell off the Dawes train a bit, and became somewhat oblivious to their three full-lengths that followed.
Oh Brotheris Goldsmithās latest addition to the Dawes songbook, and Iām grateful to say that itās brought me back. After having done some catching up, Iād posit that itās the second work in the third act, or fall season, of his songwritingāwhere 2022ās Misadventures of Doomscrollercracked open the door, Oh Brother swings it wide. And it doesnāt have much more than Dawesā meat and potatoes, per se, in common with acts one or two. Some moodiness has stayedāas well as societal disgruntlement and the arrangement elements that first had me intoxicated. But then thereās the 7/4 section in the middle of āFront Row Seatā; the gently unwinding, quiet, intimate jazz-club feel of āSurprise!ā; the experimentally percussive, soft-spoken āEnough Alreadyā; and the unexpected, dare I say, Danny Elfman-esque harmonic twists and turns in the closing track, āHilarity Ensues.ā
The main engine behind Dawes, the Goldsmith brothers are both native āAngelinos,ā having been born and raised in the L.A. area. Taylor is still proud to call the city his home.
Photo by Jon Chu
āI have this working hypothesis that who you are as a songwriter through the years is pretty close to who you are in a dinner conversation,ā Goldsmith tells me in an interview, as I ask him about that thematic shift. āWhen I was 23, if I was invited to dinner with grownups [laughs], or just friends or whatever, and they say, āHow you doinā, Taylor?ā I probably wouldnāt think twice to be like, āIām not that good. Thereās this girl, and ā¦ I donāt know where things are atācan I share this with you? Is that okay?ā I would just go in in a way thatās fairly indiscreet! And Iām grateful to that version of me, especially as a writer, because thatās what I wanted to hear, so thatās what I was making at the time.
āBut then as I got older, it became, āOh, maybe thatās not an appropriate way to answer the question of how Iām doing.ā Or, āMaybe Iāve spent enough years thinking about me! What does it feel like to turn the lens around?āā he continues, naming Elvis Costello and Paul Simon as inspirations along the way through that self-evolution. āAlso, trying to be mindful ofāI had strengths then that I donāt have now, but I have strengths now that I didnāt have then. And now itās time to celebrate those. Even in just a physical way, like hearing Frank Zappa talking about how his agility as a guitar player was waning as he got older. Itās like, that just means that you showcase different aspects of your skills.
āI am a changing person. It would be weird if I was still writing the same way I was when I was 23. There would probably be some weird implications there as to who Iād be becoming as a human [laughs].ā
Taylor Goldsmith considers Oh Brother, the ninth full-length in Dawesā catalog, to be the beginning of a new phase of Dawes, containing some of his most unfiltered, unedited songwriting.
Since its inception, the engine behind Dawes has been the brothers Goldsmith, with Taylor on guitar and vocals and Griffin on drums and sometimes vocal harmonies. But theyāve always had consistent backup. For the first several years, that was Wylie Gelber on bass and Tay Strathairn on keyboards. On Weāre All Gonna Die, Lee Pardini replaced Strathairn and has been with the band since. Oh Brother, however, marks the departure of Gelber and Pardini.
āWe were like, āWow, this is an intense time; this is a vulnerable time,āā remarks Goldsmith, who says that their parting was supportive and loving, but still rocked him and Griffin. āYou get a glimpse of your vulnerability in a way that you havenāt felt in a long time when things are just up and running. For a second there, weāre like, āWeāre getting a little rattledāhow do we survive this?āā
They decided to pair up with producer Mike Viola, a close family friend, who has also worked with Mandy MooreāTaylorās spouseāalong with Panic! At the Disco, Andrew Bird, and Jenny Lewis. ā[We knew that] he understands all of the parameters of that raw state. And, you know, I always show Mike my songs, so he was aware of what we had cookinā,ā says Goldsmith.
Griffin stayed behind the kit, but Taylor took over on bass and keys, the latter of which he has more experience with than heās displayed on past releases. āWeāve made records where itās very tempting to appeal to your strengths, where itās like, āOh, I know how to do this, Iām just gonna nail it,āā he says. āThen thereās records that we make where we really push ourselves into territories where we arenāt comfortable. That contributed to [Misadventures of Doomscroller] feeling like a living, breathing thingāvery reactive, very urgent, very aware. We were paying very close attention. And I would say the same goes for this.ā
That new terrain, says Goldsmith, āforced us to react to each other and react to the music in new ways, and all of a sudden, weāre exploring new corners of what we do. Iām really excited in that sense, because itās like this is the first album of a new phase.ā
āThat forced us to react to each other and react to the music in new ways, and all of a sudden, weāre exploring new corners of what we do.ā
In proper folk (or even folk-rock) tradition, the music of Dawes isnāt exactly riddled with guitar solos, but thatās not to say that Goldsmith doesnāt show off his chops when the timing is right. Just listen to the languid, fluent lick on āSurprise!ā, the shamelessly prog-inspired riff in the bridge of āFront Row Seat,ā and the tactful, articulate line that threads through āEnough Already.ā Goldsmith has a strong, individual sense of phrasing, where his improvised melodies can be just as biting as his catalogās occasional lyrical jabs at presumably toxic ex-girlfriends, and just as melancholy as his self-reflective metaphors, all the while without drawing too much attention to himself over the song.
Of course, most of our conversation revolves around songwriting, as thatās the craft thatās the truest and closest to his identity. āThereās an openness, a goofinessāI even struggle to say it now, butāan earnestness that goes along with who I am, not only as a writer but as a person,ā Goldsmith elaborates. āAnd I think itās important that those two things reflect one another. āCause when you meet someone and they donāt, I get a little bit weirded out, like, āWhat have I been listening to? Are you lying to me?āā he says with a smile.
Taylor Goldsmith's Gear
Pictured here performing live in 2014, Taylor Goldsmith has been the primary songwriter for all of Dawes' records, beginning with 2009ās North Hills.
Photo by Tim Bugbee/Tinnitus Photography
Guitars
- FenderĀ Telecaster
- Gibson ES-345
- Radocaster (made by Wylie Gelber)
Amps
- ā64 Fender Deluxe
- Matchless Laurel Canyon
Effects
- 29 Pedals EUNA
- Jackson Audio Bloom
- Ibanez Tube Screamer with Keeley mod
- Vintage Boss Chorus
- Vintage Boss VB-2 Vibrato
- Strymon Flint
- Strymon El Capistan
Strings
- Ernie Ball .010s
In Goldsmithās songwriting process, he explains that heās learned to lean away from the inclination towards perfectionism. Paraphrasing something he heard Father John Misty share about Leonard Cohen, he says, āPeople think youāre cultivating these songs, or, āI wouldnāt deign to write something thatās beneath me,ā but the reality is, āIām a rat, and Iāll take whatever I can possibly get, and then Iāll just try to get the best of it.ā
āEver since Misadventures of Doomscroller,ā he adds, āIāve enjoyed this quality of, rather than try to be a minimalist, I want to be a maximalist. I want to see how much a song can handle.ā For the songs on Oh Brother, that meant that he decided to continue adding āmore observations within the universeā of āSurprise!ā, ultimately writing six verses. A similar approach to āKing of the Never-Wills,ā a ballad about a character suffering from alcoholism, resulted in four verses.
āThe economy of songwriting that weāre all taught would buck that,ā says Goldsmith. āIt would insist that I only keep the very best and shed something that isnāt as good. But Iām not going to think economically. Iām not going to think, āIs this self-indulgent?ā
Goldsmithās songwriting has shifted thematically over the years, from more personal, introspective expression to more social commentary and, at times, even satire, in songs like Weāre All Gonna Dieās āWhen the Tequila Runs Out.ā
Photo by Mike White
āI donāt abide that term being applied to music. Because if thereās a concern about self-indulgence, then youād have to dismiss all of jazz. All of it. Youād have to dismiss so many of my most favorite songs. Because in a weird way, I feel like thatās the whole pointāself-indulgence. And then obviously relating to someone else, to another human being.ā (He elaborates that, if Bob Dylan had trimmed back any of the verses on āDesolation Row,ā it would have deprived him of the unique experience it creates for him when he listens to it.)
One of the joys of speaking with Goldsmith is just listening to his thought processes. When I ask him a question, he seems compelled to share every backstory to every detail thatās going through his head, in an effort to both do his insights justice and to generously provide me with the most complete answer. That makes him a bit verbose, but not in a bad way, because he never rambles. There is an endpoint to his thoughts. When heās done, however, it takes me a second to realize that itās then my turn to speak.
To his point on artistic self-indulgence, I offer that thereās no need for artists to feel āickyā about self-promotionāthat to promote your art is to celebrate it, and to create a shared experience with your audience.
āI hear what youāre saying loud and clear; I couldnāt agree more,ā Goldsmith replies. āBut I also try to be mindful of this when Iām writing, like if Iām going to drag you through the mud of, āShe left today, sheās not coming back, Iām a piece of shit, whatās wrong with me, the endā.... That might be relatable, that might evoke a response, but I donāt know if thatās necessarily helpful ā¦ other than dragging someone else through the shit with me.
āIn a weird way, I feel like thatās the whole pointāself-indulgence. And then obviously relating to someone else, to another human being.ā
āSo, if Iām going to share, I want there to be something to offer, something that feels like: āHereās a path thatās helped me through this, or hereās an observation that has changed how I see this particular experience.ā Itās so hard to delineate between the two, but I feel like there is a difference.ā
Naming the opening track āMister Los Angeles,ā āKing of the Never-Wills,ā and even the title track to his 2015 chart-topper, āAll Your Favorite Bands,ā he remarks, āI wouldnāt call these songs ācool.ā Like, when I hear what cool music is, I wouldnāt put those songs next to them [laughs]. But maybe this record was my strongest dose of just letting me be me, and recognizing what that essence is rather than trying to force out certain aspects of who I am, and force in certain aspects of what Iām not. I think a big part of writing these songs was just self-acceptance,ā he concludes, laughing, āand just a whole lot of fishing.ā
YouTube It
Led by Goldsmith, Dawes infuses more rock power into their folk sound live at the Los Angeles Ace Hotel in 2023.
A more affordable path to satisfying your 1176 lust.
An affordable alternative to Cali76 and 1176 comps that sounds brilliant. Effective, satisfying controls.
Big!
$269
Warm Audio Pedal76
warmaudio.com
Though compressors are often used to add excitement to flat tones, pedal compressors for guitar are often ā¦ boring. Not so theWarm Audio Pedal76. The FET-driven, CineMag transformer-equipped Pedal76 is fun to look at, fun to operate, and fun to experiment with. Well, maybe itās not fun fitting it on a pedalboardāat a little less than 6.5ā wide and about 3.25ā tall, itās big. But its potential to enliven your guitar sounds is also pretty huge.
Warm Audio already builds a very authentic and inexpensive clone of the Urei 1176, theWA76. But the font used for the modelās name, its control layout, and its dimensions all suggest a clone of Origin Effectsā much-admired first-generation Cali76, which makes this a sort of clone of an homage. Much of the 1176ās essence is retained in that evolution, however. The Pedal76 also approximates the 1176ās operational feel. The generous control spacing and the satisfying resistance in the knobs means fast, precise adjustments, which, in turn, invite fine-tuning and experimentation.
Well-worn 1176 formulas deliver very satisfying results from the Pedal76. The 10ā2ā4 recipe (the numbers correspond to compression ratio and āclockā positions on the ratio, attack, and release controls, respectively) illuminates lifeless tonesāadding body without flab, and an effervescent, sparkly color that preserves dynamics and overtones. Less subtle compression tricks sound fantastic, too. Drive from aggressive input levels is growling and thick but retains brightness and nuance. Heavy-duty compression ratios combined with fast attack and slow release times lend otherworldly sustain to jangly parts. Impractically large? Maybe. But Iād happily consider bumping the rest of my gain devices for the Pedal76.
Check out our demo of the Reverend Vernon Reid Totem Series Shaman Model! John Bohlinger walks you through the guitar's standout features, tones, and signature style.